The invention relates to methods and systems for free-floating upper vehicle parts from lower vehicle frames.
The suspension of a vehicle allows it to drive smoothly over a bumpy road. The wheels may jolt up and down, but springs between the wheel axles and the body of the car flex and take up the force of the jolts. This ensures that the force of the bumping is not transferred to the vehicle cab. Springs alone produce a bouncing motion, so the suspension also contains dampers, commonly known as shock absorbers. These slow the movement of the springs to prevent the vehicle and its occupants bouncing up and down.
Current suspension systems require a rigid mechanical link between the vehicle body and the vehicle frame, as shown very schematically in FIG. 1. Typically, each pair of wheels 10 are coupled together via an axle 12 to form the lower part of the vehicle frame. Of course, vehicles have several axle/wheel sets. The upper vehicle part 14 is then suspended above the wheels 10 and axle 12 via suspension elements 16. The upper vehicle part 14 is typically further mechanically linked to at least one axle 12 via the steering wheel linkage 18, which controls steering of the wheels 10 in response to rotation of steering wheel 20. However, with many of the vehicle systems being converted to electronic controls, such as electronic steering, there is no longer a need for rigid links.